Hawshib tribes in Lahj Governorate (Southern Yemen) have called for a general meeting to address what they described as "repeated insults" directed at them by a military commander loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

In a statement released on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, the Hawshib tribes of the Musemir district condemned the verbal abuse directed at them by Brigadier General Othman Muawda, commander of the 14th Armored Brigade under the STC. The statement, shared with "Bran Press," highlighted that this was not the first instance of such abuse, with Muawda previously using vulgar language and insults against the Hawshib people.

The Hawshib tribes strongly denounced Muawda's "aggressive language, intimidation, threats, and warnings," emphasizing that he should be setting an example of nobility, ethics, and responsibility, especially considering his role as commander of the brigade tasked with protecting the Hawshib frontlines.

The statement further accused Muawda of threatening to invade the Nashm area, where Hawshib resistance fighters are stationed. This threat, they claimed, stemmed from their refusal to allow the passage of a military vehicle (tank) from the Habil Hanish front, a key contact line with the Houthi group, without justification.

The Hawshib tribes asserted that the military vehicle belonged to the Musemir resistance, which had seized it during the liberation of the Lubuza camp from the Houthis. They emphasized the importance of Habil Hanish as a "hot and active front line, a contact line, a site of confrontation, and the first line of defense protecting the Hawshib region and the South against the Houthis."

The tribes called on Aidaroos Al-Zubaidi, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council and head of the STC, to put an end to Muawda's "excessive transgressions against the people of the region."

Musemir, in Lahj, was one of the first districts in the governorate to expel the Houthis in June 2015. While the Houthis were driven out, the area remains a hotbed of conflict with ongoing fighting on the border with the neighboring Taiz Governorate.